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Dexter 1x12 "Born Free"

Oh, the finale. Oops. Long delay here. What I did remember from this nicely tied up finale:-

-Well, duh, of course Dexter saves Deb. Duh. Did you ever think he wouldn't? But a lot of the episode played with Dexter's dilemma – should he reunite with his twisted brother, go on killing sprees together, and never have to hide who he is anymore, or should he save Harry’s daughter, his sister, who might condemn him once she knew who he really was. Great acting on Hall’s part through all this.

- So anyway, he saves Deb. Whiny annoying Deb. I’m a bit disappointed that she doesn’t find out about Dexter (or was anything implied? I didn’t catch it) in that ridiculous scene where she ‘wakes’ up just when Dexter finally decides to fight Brian/Rudy/ITK off. A little lame-o, but expected, given they have (hopefully) many seasons before the end of the show.

-You have to wonder how much of Harry rubbed off Dexter; how enticing was the thought for Dexter to abandon all his inhibitions and hidden killer instincts and be reunited with the only blood relative he has? He gave all that up for Deb, because of his upbringing by Harry, and of course, the code.

- How much Dexter wants to defend his code and his way of life defined by Harry is shown by the act of actually killing his brother, because, after all, he ‘deserves’ to. On the emotional level, Dexter knew Deb would always be in danger if Rudy/Brian/ITK lives, and as the anti hero of the series, and so, chooses his step sister over his blood brother in a fantastic murder sequence. How Dexter deals with this murder would be interesting in the next season.

- I love how LaGuerta is growing on me. Never liked the character all that much, I’m starting to feel a need for her in the show. Now give her a piece of the storyline next season!

- Obviously the whole Doakes thing with following Dexter would be a major part of next season’s story as well. It’s funny that though Doakes dislike Dexter so much (and strictly speaking, was completely correct in doing so), they have some similarities. In shooting that bad guy in a less than honourable way, Doakes has essentially done what Dexter would have done, albeit in a less freaky serial killer sort of way.

- The reappearance of Paul via the phone would add a lot of tension and drama between the two sweethearts. Will Rita find out and how would she react to this? Rita has been Dexter’s biggest fan of all - she has never doubted him and think the world of him. It would be great to see her supporting his dark side as well, if or when she finds out.

- One last thing before I bid farewell to this lovely lovely show; I LOVED the end sequence! Fantastic. And well deserved as well. Dexter proved himself to be a hero, and aren’t we all crazy not to throw a parade for him? Loved that smile on his face. We do love you, Dexter – see you next season.

Dexter 1x11 “Truth be Told”

I don’t think I’ve held my breath so long before (maybe except that time on 24 when Jack had to hold his breath and naturally I followed suit. Of course, being Jack, his lung capacity is something like 500% more than mine). Good episode. Awesome. Fantastic. A great tease until next week's finale.

-Very exciting episode, and really masterfully done given we already knew who the ITK was. But it was still really exciting to see Dexter slowly realize it over the course of the episode. See, told you Deb would be in danger. But it doesn’t look like Doakes would be the one to save her. But did you look at his eyes? He definitely has the hots for Deb, which is funny given his distaste for Dexter.

-Anyway, RudyITK could really turn on the charms, and turn them off – he went from being the most romantic guy in the world with the lights on the boat to being completely creepy by first giving the dead hooker’s ring to Deb as an engagement ring and then ridiculing her for dating the ITK.

-LaGuerta getting fired – you know she’s going to do something about that. But what? Do we get to find out this season? There’s something really nasty and ruthless about LaGuerta, yet it’s precisely why I like her in the show. You can’t have a bunch of Angels in the force, right?

-Angel. I’m so glad he’s not dead. But I suppose he feels just about there. Having your separated/divorced wife break up with you all over again has got to hurt. Especially after being attacked by the ITK.

-And on the subject of emotions, Dexter. Wow. He seems like such a regular guy in this episode. The way he panicked when he couldn’t find Deb; how angry he was when he failed to obtain the file about his past; how angry he was at himself for not noticing Rudy earlier; how angry he was to Doakes when he accused him for having no feelings, etc. It’s funny that though Dexter is a monster, compared to Rudy/ITK he’s a marshmallow. He does get distracted and forgets things, while Rudy/ITK is way more precise and cold.

- Hi Camilla! I never noticed her in the show, but she was in this movie I just saw where she spoke French with the heaviest American accent on it. Cute. Anyway. Was she hiding the fact that there was a second brother at the crime scene a.k.a. Rudy/ITK? And why was Harry so insistent upon Dexter not finding out about his past/brother? Can’t wait to find out next week!

- That video of the dead hooker was real creepy. Poor girl. But it gave the police some clues (ironically, cracked by Deb) as to where the ITK is; so here’s my question. Did Rudy/ITK anticipate all this already – he did mention to the hooker that she was an ‘alibi’ of sorts – and is the tape for Dexter or the police? Hmm.

- Nice Christmas presents though. Definitely not something you think to put under your Christmas tree. I think I laughed (guiltily) a little watching Rudy sing and cut up his hooker. 

- Dexter thoughts on the (im)possibility that Rudy is the ITK – “he bought me steaks.” Heh. Well, now you know the way to Dexter’s heart. Steaks.

- Rita gets stronger and stronger each episode. She finally lets the kids see who Paul really is – a horrible person who’s still their father. It was sweet. I like that it was Dexter who convinced her to be honest – unlike Harry who lied about Dexter’s past – and that they actually had a real fight. It shows how authentic and real Dexter’s feelings are towards Rita. They do exist, just a bit different than a normal person.

-So any guesses as to what happens in the season finale? I find it unlikely that they would kill off Deb (given she is the only family Dexter has, and they have a lot of unexplored familial relationships), which means only one thing. It is very likely that Deb WILL find out who Dexter is, and since the show is called Dexter and not Prison Break, that would mean Deb will keep his secret. I think she might even relish in knowing this secret for a bit – since all previous rejections from Harry and Dexter stems from this secret. I wonder what happens with Rudy/ITK; does he get caught? does Dexter kill/hurt him (his probable bio brother) to save Deb (his non-bio sister)? (My guess is yes.)  I’m not sure how happy Deb is to find out that two of the closest people to her are serial killers - she has a worse track record than Rita.

Dexter 1x10 "Seeing Red"

And seeing red we did. That was one of the bloodiest bloodbath in a long time on TV (anyone else seen that much blood in CSI and Co.?) And there weren’t even any new victims. After last week’s couples’ relaxing weekend at Dexter’s bio-dad’s house, we get into some action this week. And a whole lot of red. There hasn’t been one episode of this show that disappointed me, and this episode certainly continues this trend.

- So Dexter’s flashbacks come more frequently and vividly now that the ITK/Rudy is forcing them out of Dex. The whole setup of the hotel room key in the jar of blood was Rudy’s way of forcing Dexter’s repressed memories to come out. And it certainly did its job. Dexter, for the first time, staggered at what Doakes called Dexter’s “wet dream”. How funny was it that everyone (including Dexter himself) was so surprised at Dexter’s squeamish face when he came out of the room with blood all over his spacesuit? And cute that Dex’s answer to Masuka’s urging to see the blood splatters was “Photos, Masuka. Lots of them.” It’s refreshing to see Dexter in such a vulnerable position.  But anyway, Dexter’s flashbacks confirm my ongoing theory from before, but it was interesting to see the resemblance of his (most likely) mother to Rita.

- I’m intrigued to find out what exactly is Rudy’s relationship to Dexter. As I said before, he’s most likely a brother to Dexter (hi bro, I’m a serial killer too), but I still don’t understand why Harry ‘saved’ Dex and not Rudy. Anyway, will love to see how this goes given there are only 2(?) more episodes this season.

- So since ITK/Rudy kept all of the blood from his previous victims, doesn’t that mean he knew about Dexter all this time, and all the murders of the hookers (they were all hookers, right? Except for the not dead security guard at the ice hockey rink) were purely for the sake of Dexter?

- Masuka likes it dirty! Hee. Loved how he dragged newly divorced/separated Angel out to get some. Angel’s random discovery of those painted nails on the prosthetic hand is a great lead, but a dangerous one. I hope he doesn’t die – though his character isn’t particularly interesting, I like that he’s good friends with Dexter and likes him (enough to ask him about his anniversary presents – where Dexter repeatedly said negative things about each one, hee) despite the fact that Dexter is a sociopath and Angel the most regular guy around the station. It’s a relationship worth spending more time in, and if Angel dies it would be the most unfortunate.

- See, I told you Doakes was interested in Deb ever since he ‘brought’ her to dinner at his place. I’m sure he’ll play a part into rescuing Deb when/if she needs to be later on.

- Deb’s relationship with Rudy. On the one hand, she’s jealous of Dexter that he’s bonding with her beau; on the other, she’s totally jealous of Rudy for bonding with her brother as well. Hee. In a sick twisted way, it’s like Deb is dating her (non blood related) brother. Ew. I’m almost certain that Deb will know about Dexter’s secret by the end of this season.

- Oh, and that expression on Dexter’s face when he ‘accidentally’ smacked Paul’s head? Hilarious. I loved how he handled that whole situation, still following the code of Harry, but definitely fucking Paul up just enough to get Rita’s kids back. I still can’t get over that expression on his face – a mix of whoops, oh crap, maybe I shouldn’t have done that, and glee. This is the kind of stuff that’s awesome about Dexter – it’s not the guts and gore or even the mystery of Rudy and Dexter’s past, but how Dexter interacts as a sociopath with the rest of the ‘normal’ world that makes this show so fantastic to watch.

Dexter 1x9 “Father knows Best”

See, this is when a show really is great. Pretty much nothing happened, yet I was thoroughly entertained. And hey, we got clues...Anyhoo…

So we find out that Harry does lie (sometimes). Dexter did have a bio dad that wasn’t dead after all, which begs the question of how Dexter ended up in Harry’s care. And why Rudy/ITK/Deb’s boyfriend isn’t. Let’s see: Rudy killed the bio dad, was really eager to meet Dexter and really eager to connect with him. Do I smell a brother here? So why didn’t Harry take him in as well as Dex? They’re obviously both in need of Harry’s code here.

But if Rudy really is Dexter’s brother, then we can piece together their background. We now know that the dad used to be a drug user and was in prison. Paul mentioned that his mother has/had protheses, and that’s why he’s in prosthetics. Paul killed the dad, so not a lot of love here. Dexter’s hypnosis brought him back to being a baby with blood everywhere. Hm. Did Rudy and Dexter witness some sort of heinous act that the father did to the mother, say chopping her legs off? While the mother (maybe) lived and had custody of Rudy, Harry took Dexter in. They both were traumatized from the event, and so both are serial killers. Dexter got a ‘good’ dad, and so at least is a serial killer killer. Rudy on the other hand didn’t, and so just chops up hookers (did the father have an affair or something?) and makes artificial limbs. Seems a bit too easy though, what do you think?

Anyhoo, it’ll be interesting to see exactly what Rudy wants out of Dexter in episodes to come. Does he want to take Dexter out of his fake normal world and join him in his? I’m liking that both serial killers brothers chose a normal life in which to live out their murderous tendencies. The key would be Harry, and whether he made a difference.I’m sure Deb won’t be pleased about this. Dating your serial killer brother’s brother who’s also a serial killer? Did Harry prepare her for this?

And things are going well with Rita…enough for Dexter to be spending the night over. But that Paul, you know he’s going to get it some time soon, but from whom? Dexter? Rudy? The dynamic duo together? Time will tell.

Dexter 1x8 “Shrink Wrap”

Woohoo – Dexter and Rita finally do the deed!

Oh, but that wasn’t really the main plot of this episode. Anyway, great episode again. I totally am loving this show, and it hasn’t disappoint so far. Yay!

-First things first – Hah! I was right about Deb’s bf being more than just a creep – from the looks of it now, he IS the ITK, and guess what? He’s just like Dexter – has a normal job, seems very normal if a little creepy, and hiding his serial killer side from the rest of the world. Wonder if Harry trained him at all? Guess not, coz he’s all into the hooker killing scene while making great prosthetic limbs for others. Wonder if the mother story is real? If so, does that tie into the dream sequence Dexter had in his therapy session? Anyway, their similarity has to be more than just a shared love of killing and craigslist. I don’t know.

-But anyway, poor Deb. The fact that you shielded his eyes during sex didn’t help. But I like that there’s this other link between the ITK and Dexter – Deb. Because I’ve always thought that if Deb ever knew about Dexter, she won’t arrest him and somehow support him. But how about a boyfriend? Would she do the same for him?

-Dexter’s dream sequence – we see a baby (probably him) in some big ass pool of blood. Given Harry took him in when he was just three, it fits the timeline. Was that the traumatic event that made the serial killer in Dexter? Didn’t they also mention in some previous episode that Dexter was taken in by Harry from some police case?

-Loved how Dexter decided not to kill the therapist yet because he needed another session to deal with Rita’s sexual advances. It’s interesting to see Dexter care enough about Rita to not want to have sex with her - he’s worried that she’ll see him as empty and leave him. He obviously cares for her – hello emotion! – but feels a need to control it, just like everything else in his life that has to be so carefully controlled. I wonder how much of it she meant when she said “There’s nothing about you that will scare me away.”  Every week you wonder how she’ll take it if/when she finds about the real Dexter.

-Her ex-husband is just like the bully in Dexter’s childhood – wonder if this is Dexter’s second chance to actually kill someone he really wants to and not because they deserve it? But simmer down, ex-husband. Between Dexter and yourself, guess what – you won’t come out that alive.

-So now LaGuerta also knows that the ITK is still at large. She’s obviously still very good at what she does best, and it’ll be interesting to see how she’ll use this info to wrangle in some bigger promotion.

-Seeing Dexter and Angel reading the blood splatter as clowns and crustaceans remind me of those Rorschach (is that what they’re called? Something like that anyway) ink blot tests. Wonder if reading them as lobsters mean anything more than liking seafood?

- Oh, and how polite of Dexter to truly thank the therapist (while taped to the saran wrapped table) for helping him with his control issues right before he splices his throat open with what looks to be one of those electric knife thingys usually used for carving a turkey? Happy Thanksgiving!

Dexter 1x7 "Circle of Friends"

Nobody ever thought for a sec that Neil Perry was the ITK (Ice Truck Killer), right?  I thought as much - it wasn't the season finale, right - why would they give away the mystery so quickly?

But I'm guessing this twist wasn't for us, it was for good ol' Dex. For someone who's empty inside, Dexter sure 'feels' a lot sometimes. Dexter's reactions to this news though was HILARIOUS. First he was absolutely certain his 'idol' ITK would never be this loser taxidermist guy living in a tin can. Then he got so disappointed(look at his face! Hee) when more evidence points to Neil as the ITK. You can see Dexter comparing himself to Neil - and the fact that Neil appeared to be this sad, dorky, geeky guy with glasses and Dexter isn't didn't help. Then finally that really fantastic little bit of a smile on Dexter's face when he paid a visit to the caught Neil, and realized that Neil had NO idea who he was. He isn't the ITK. He's someone better. Just like Dex. And remember that Harry was the only person who really knew Dexter? I think Dexter likes it somewhat that there's another person in the world - the Ice Truck Killer - who also knew the real Dexter as well.

The bit with the teenager kid that Dexter previously let go was a nice tidbit again into Dexter's past - that without Harry this teenager's life would've been Dexter's life.  It makes you realize all over again that Dexter, as 'nice' as he appears to be, is purely pretending; He IS a serial killer just like the teenager, and nothing can stop that.

But then you get Dexter's answer to Rita as well: "I don't hurt innocent people." While they were rubbing each other's feet too, how adorable. Dexter's character is a perpetual balance, and I like it when an episode shows both sides of him. I'm not sure which to cheer for.

But I'm really enjoying his 'pretend' relationship, and you know it's a matter of when before Dexter questions whether to kill off Paul for Rita's sake, which is in violation of Harry's codes: (from a previous episode) it was something like "you should never kill for emotional reasons, you should only kill those who deserve it."  Hmm. But if Dexter does kill for Rita (which means he has real real emotionsand thus is not empty), he wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place. How strange.

Oh, two more things I liked:

-some stirrings between Doakes and Deb? Also that doctor guy is a bit creepy, talking about body parts like puzzles. Very ITK, no?

-How the head of the police station guy stole Laguerta's limelight. While she was still putting on makeup getting ready for the cameras. Hee.

Dexter 1x6 "Return to Sender"

Who's the Ice Truck Killer?

It doesn't matter much this episode, for this one's all about Dex.

Remember the corpses he threw over at the end of the last episode? Well, the one he didn't have time to chop up came back (courtesy of the Ice Truck Killer, so it seems) and they all investigate to see just who killed Mrs. Castello(?). Loved seeing how nervous and HUMAN Dexter is when he feels he's about to be found out. It's kind of nice to see that as good as Dexter is at killing, he still makes mistakes every now and then. HUMAN. Watch how he scrambled to cover his traps. HUMAN. How he was annoyed(hello emotion!) at Masuka for ordering a tox screen - "That's it, no more donuts for Masuka". How he was actually scared (hello, emotion!) when all this could "end in the hands of a seven year old....I usually like kids." Hee hee. The list goes on.

It's interesting to see Debbie and Dexter remain close siblings, despite the arguing (in the past and present). Debbie young and old's intuitions tell her that something wrong's with her brother, yet her heart prevents her from constructing a clear picture. It's going to be a blast when (and I believe that will happen, it's only a matter of time) Debbie finds out all of Dexter's secrets. Look how close she was this time in her profiling. Oh, that dream sequence was hilarious with Debbie as the serial killer. It's cute seeing Dexter frightened by a bad dream. Dexter having so many genuine facial expressions was unnatural, and a real fun to watch.

The section of Debbie hangning out with Doakes' sisters and mother was quite funny, though I'm not sure where that's heading. Is this going to be a romantic thing? Ugh.

Speaking of romance, Rita wasn't wearing her Lara Croft costume(darn!), but I liked that she is getting stronger as a person. Her relationship with Dexter is a delicate one, and I love to see it develop as the story goes along. What would she do if/when she finds out about Dexter? Even Dexter himself isn't too optimistic on that: "Her husband’s a crack head and her boyfriends a serial killer, it’s kind of hard not to take that personally.”

Anyway, Dexter manages to frame the dead husband and gets off scot free when the little kid (who was a witness)'s ID was Jesus Christ. I guess to the little boy, Dexter was Jesus Christ.

Oh yeah, and Dexter? Patrick Bateman is NOT a wholesome or inconspicuous name. Fitting alias though. Hee.